How does it feel to NOT have a job after graduating from one of the best schools

How does it feel to NOT have a job after completing engineering from one of India’s best colleges as asked on Quora .

I know the question is about getting a low salary but I feel the sentiments are the same — not getting what one is “supposed” to get (by virtue of her pedigree)

So let me tell you a story- This is going to be pretty long, so get your popcorns ready!!

It was Summer of 2009. I graduated from NIT Surathkal. Not the top college but still regarded as one of the top school in India.

Close to 150+ companies visited the campus the previous Fall. 90% of the batch had got placed by then. Even those with 5 pointers ( no offense to anyone) had atleast one job. I for that matter was around 7.5 Gpa. Not good but not bad either. Still I didn’t have a job. Not even in Accenture , if that is considered lowly job here.

This part of my life is called Making Mistakes!!

I was only interested in going for software jobs. My major was Chemical Engg but software is what excited me then. I think I was pretty decent at coding too back then. However I considered myself “far knowledgeable” in programming to sit for interviews of companies like Accenture. I remember I once sat in the interview of HP for practice purpose (was not interested in HP too). Went in flip-flops with mud soaked feet.

Final HR round-

“So why didn’t you sit for Accenture when it came to your campus a few days back?”, the Hr asked curiously

“Ah, I think I know more programming to sit for Accenture”, I answered unabashedly.

Rejected!! My confidence was right, attitude wasn’t.

1. Lesson1: Never consider anything in life as not worthy of doing it. Everything has a worth and something to learn from.

To make things worse, recession had started creeping in to which we students had no clue sitting inside school. Top software Companies like Microsoft, Amazon which earlier would recruit 10 ppl immediately started taking only 2 or 3. That meant few top students from CS major couldn’t get into top software companies. So they went for the tier 2 software companies. Which meant the average CS guy got his job taken by such top students so they started sitting for other not so high paying software jobs where a non CS major like me could apply for. It was Domino effect at its full play.

To make things even worse, in the beginning I used to crack all the aptitude tests of any company even if I don’t go for interview and wasn’t desperate for that job. I remember I sat for Accenture Aptitude test too and was amongst the top candidates after the result. Didn’t even go for interview. I was started getting hailed as Apti-King in the college. I remember I once wrote aptitude test for a friend as he was not able to clear any aptis. Wrong thing to do, but if one wrong can help someone, it’s worth doing it. He got the interview though couldn’t clear the interview. :(. This gives an idea how good I was in clearing aptis of any company in the beginning.

But as time progressed and more than 50% of the batch got placed, fear and desperation crept in and now I won’t be able to clear aptis.

1. Lesson2: When things go wrong, they usually go wrong in bunch. Life will not only hit you with a brick and that’s a big freaking brick I am talking here, but will kick you in the pants too. You got to somehow still hold your shit.

Things became so desperate that companies which came to campus for recruitment and I didn’t sit in those, I was now applying for the same companies off — campus. Your self-esteem can’t take a bigger hit.

More than anything it was the dejection I used to hear in my parents’ voice especially my dad whenever he would call hoping to hear his son will come with some good news, only to be dejected again. I remember when the placement season got over and few days before graduating, I went to one of my best friend, Ravi’s room in the hostel. And we were just sitting there and suddenly I started crying. I sobbed like a kid. I was not crying because I didn’t get placed or the mistakes I made. I was crying because I disappointed my dad. My mom.

1. Lesson3: When you go through some shit in life, you need to know that it’s OK to cry. Don’t go with the cliche “Boys don’t cry”. Cry your heart out as if no one is watching you. Crying does not mean you are weak!

It was also the time when I had a break-up with my gf in school. So you can understand I was seeing rejection in its full glory from all sides.

Anyway, I went back home after graduation. My eldest brother was getting married. That is the time when you even get to meet relatives whom you have never met all your life. And typical Indian relative on seeing you has two questions-:

“So , beta(son) what are you upto?,”.

“Just graduated from engineering”, I replied

“Ohh great! Where did you get the job?”

This part of my life is called Facing Insults!!

There would be many who would know that you don’t have a job but still would ask that question. Maybe it was their source of seeking sadistic pleasure since their child couldn’t get into a top rung college. It was their moment. Moment of revenge.

So after not having a job I had to immediately face such heart piercing questions, all with trying to maintain a smile throughout the whole wedding. It’s difficult. But you have no choice.

After the wedding, I decided to go to Bangalore. Got accepted by a university professor in Mathematics to work with him on some project- with no pay. He accepts anyone who applies so there was nothing special in my application. To be honest I had applied only to get out of my home. It was difficult for me to live at my dad’s house and see his dejected face everyday.

This part of my life is called Accepting Mistakes and Struggling!!

I started working with him and searching for jobs on the sides. Recession had dried the job market completely. I found a hostel near the Professor’s place where three ppl shared a room. I had to pay 1600 Rs pm. It was the cheapest room I can afford. The food nearby was for 25 rs per meal. That’s all I could afford from any money I had left from my school account.

Nobody was hiring in the market at that time. To give some more context my father’s brother (uncle) was in a pretty good position in Mumbai banking industry back then. He asked me to forward my resume so that he can setup interviews with few tech companies. It was cakewalk for him since he used to hobnob with all executives in those companies. And all I had to do was say yes. But I didn’t.

1. Lesson4: When you screw up in life , you need to first understand that it’s YOU who screwed up and no one owes anything to you in life. Admit your mistakes, scream , shout at yourself and then get up!

I knew I made mistakes. So he doesn’t owe me to help. I have a choice to go the easy route and take his help or choose a difficult path and struggle. It was my moment of atonement.

“Thanks Tauji. I will let you know if nothing works out”, I told him.

I remember I didn’t want to ask for money from my dad for my monthly expenses , so at one point I even thought of joining a call center just so that I can prolong my stay in Bangalore and can search for jobs. One of my friend , Alok on hearing this was very disappointed. NIT Surathkal graduate and thinking of joining call center?. Pretty bad to even think of.

1. Lesson5: When the chips are down and you are in the middle of a storm, cling onto anything you can get hold of for survival. If something brings food in the stomach, respect it. Fighting with a hungry stomach is pretty difficult!!

Luckily after a month I got a call from an analytics startup. Went for the interview. At that time I didn’t even know what analytics was all about. All I knew was software engineering. But I thought if got the job, this would atleast keep me floating in the Bangalore job market for some more time.

The interview was just formality since they were just starting up. One of the founders shared the salary-

“ We will start you with 6000 rs per month and after three months there would be an increment of 2.5k”

Yes you read it right. It was SIX THOUSAND RUPEES. It’s like someone invites you to a dinner and then slaps you by throwing a dog’s bone.

I asked for some time to think and came back home. Shared this to few friends. There were few batch mates who actually laughed at me for even giving this a thought. It was infra dig for them to even think of such a job. I would hear sniggers. Even my dad got angry and cut the phone when he heard the salary.

I thought about this whole night. Next day I called the founder and said I will accept the offer.

The office was 25kms from my place. Every morning I would leave at 6 am standing whole time in an overly crowded local bus. I couldn’t afford the fare of AC bus which cost Rs 25 those days. Non Ac bus fare was Rs 5. I can afford five such rides at the cost of one AC bus ride. Most of the times I would just hang on the door with only one foot inside the bus. It was crowded to that extent.

Salary was 6k but work hours were not less than 14 hours everyday. I would reach office at 8 am after standing for 2 hour in the bus and would leave for home at 10 pm in the night.

My bank account only had money to last for that month. I was eagerly waiting for first month’s salary. On the payday, I got my first paycheck. I immediately ran for the nearest bank during the lunch hours to cash the check.

This part of my life is called Sitting on the streets!!

On reaching the bank I came to know the check given to me was an account payee check and the money would only get transferred in my account after three days. I could not believe life can be so brutal. I came out of the bank and just sat there literally in the street. I had only 5 rs left in my wallet. That can only get me a ride back home in bus. I can’t buy the dinner and won’t be able to come back tomorrow morning. I was literally broke. Even the beggar on the street would have had more money that day than what I had.

I remember my mom called me that day and I just said ,”Mummy I don’t know what I am doing with my life”

I walked 3 kms back to office since I cannot afford the auto ride. I had to save that money for bus ride back home.

In the night I sat on the stairs outside my office thinking what to do. The watchman of the building came to me and asked

“Sir, won’t you go home?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have money to go home”, I replied.

I told him my state of affairs. To my surprise he took out 100 rs and put that in my hand. I was shocked and sad at the same time. He insisted on keeping it and pay back when I get the salary. That was my first hand experience of kindness.

1. Lesson6: Even if your situation in life is pretty bad, don’t forget to be kind. There would always be someone who is in a worse situation than you. Respect that.

To cut a long story short, I worked in that company for few months. I worked to learn. If you learn , you can always earn in life going ahead.

After few months I got a job in an MNC analytics firm where my monthly pay was more than 8 times my starting salary. I kept changing jobs and in two years I was earning more than what most of my other batch mates were earning with good starting salaries. Only because I was able to learn things in that very first company. It was a startup so you had to don multiple hats. You had to do things yourself with no help. There was no other choice.

After few years in the industry I realized I would want to pursue higher education to aim for better job roles. Got admitted to an Ivy League school (brand doesn’t matter, but just for perspective) in the US. At the same time, I randomly applied to a school in UK and the associated British Govt scholarship. I was not expecting to get both, but one day I see an email saying I have been selected after interview rounds the British Govt scholarship worth 40000 GBP. It covered my whole tuition, my flights tickets, my visa fees, and monthly allowance of 2000 GBP. Everything was just free.

This part of my life is called Indecision!!

I was sure I was going to accept the British school offer since I had also got this scholarship and the whole education is just free. I left my job and that’s where I lost it. I started taking opinions from people on both the options.

1. Lesson7: Between matters of heart and brain, its advisable to listen to your mind. But it’s more peaceful to listen to your heart.

I ended up going to US school after everyone convinced US is a better destination. I was never sure of spending 50K USD for education (bank loan) when you have a free education as an alternative. But somewhere I listened to ppl more than my inner voice.

What followed for the next 3–4 months is pure insanity. I first left my flight to US from Delhi airport because I was still not sure of going to US and then again booked the same flight next day and went to US. Insanity level 1. In US, I got stuck. Didn’t rent a house to live, didn’t pay the tuition as my heart was in UK offer. 4 days before the UK school admission enrollment deadline date, I left US without telling anyone and landed in Delhi. Got my UK visa processed in one day (since I was a British govt. scholar, the British embassy expedited the whole process).

And in two days from being in US , I was now in London. I managed to get myself enrolled in the UK school just two hours before the deadline. That’s when my flight landed in London. Insanity level 2.

So here I was, enrolled in two different schools in two different continents at the same time. I still hadn’t withdrawn from US school. I just left without telling anyone. So I was still registered in the courses and the registrar was expecting me to pay my tuition which was way overdue (more than 2 months due). Insanity level 3

But I was so confused that I didn’t like the UK school now. There was nothing wrong. I was just finding unnecessary comparison with US. In the next week I find myself at Heathrow catching a flight back to JFK. At Heathrow I was caught by the Homeland Security and grilled for half an hour in a room just because at the reception I ask a naive question :

“What if I decide not to board the flight to US, how do I get my bags back?”

This was sufficient for Homeland Security to get suspicious of my activities and I was immediately put on the possible terrorism radar! Insanity level 4

After grilling me for half an hour and checking all my documents they let me go convinced I am just a confused guy who is on the verge of being mentally categorized as crazy.

So in one week of leaving the US, going to India via Turkey, living in London for a week I was back again in US. Insanity level 5

By then the semester was almost getting over, it was October end and I had barely attended any classes wandering all over the world during that time with four bags. I don’t even know how I managed to pass that semester somehow. I remember I had even submitted one homework assignment due in one of the class of my US program by sitting in the dorm room of the London school. All Insanity Levels breached.

I joined a startup in SF after my graduation.

This part of my life is called being Foolish!

Things were good until I fell for someone a few months back. I cannot disclose the person or my professional situation with her, but lets just say it was a very complicated professional situation. Things got so messy that I was even threatened police action by her sister when I did something with the sole intention of helping someone.

1. Lesson7: Don’t be nice to everyone all the time. That’s how people take advantage of you in life. People treat you according to their need!

“You will be hearing from my attorney that will represent not only myself but my sister as well.”.

This was her sister’s email to me. I knew this would happen. But still I tried to help her.

Being reason behind someone’s smile is utter bliss!

So within one year of being in the US, I was facing the prospect of seeing jail. A US jail. :-|.

The nightmare was pretty bad. I had to resign from my job. After everything I was again seeing failure in life. Struggle again. However this time I was not afraid of struggle. Taking responsibilty of your own life is the only way to create the life you desire!

Since people are quoting numbers here, for conversation sake, today I am very well in the 95+ percentile of salary in the prevailing job market. I started my career with 6000 Rs pm. After 6 years, today my yearly compensation is more than 8 figures in Indian equivalent terms. Do I feel proud of this?. That brings to my next lesson:-

1. Lesson8: In life, you would one day realize that the money you are earning, the desire for compensation comparison and which brand school you got admission into becomes trivial. There would come a time when it’s not how much you are getting paid at your work that would give you happiness. It’s how much value you are creating in the world with your work that would question you always.

Money is important. That brings food on the table. But it’s only important to the extent it is required to buy that bread and have a roof over your head. Anything beyond that becomes irrelevant sooner or later.

So why did I write such a long story. I knew one day probably I would put it all in a book, but why here?

Because when you see someone telling you:,

“I thought of committing suicide because I was working in Accenture”,

you got to understand what struggle actually means. You don’t give up on life just because things are not working as you feel you are “entitled” to. Life doesn’t give things on a platter. That Accenture job which is unworthy for you, can mean a lot to someone who doesn’t have a job. I can understand the company is not where you find yourself belonging to. I currently work in a company where the pay is good, but company is mediocre. But you need to realize it’s the choices one takes in life which leads to everything. I had to take up this job as I was forced to leave the earlier job because of the mess I landed myself in. But I am sure things would work out good one day again. This is what Failure & Struggle teach in life. They build your character.

1. Lesson9: When life puts you on a trip to Hell, you need to trust it’s a round trip. Go there, show the middle finger and then come back!!

I struggled and was lucky to get a start at low paying job, but there would always been someone else who would have been still struggling to get a job and might not have found a job.

Every emotions you experience in life is relative. Your current assumed “bad” situation might be someone’s dream. Your celebration on Diwali is like a pall of gloom for the poor because they are not even blessed to celebrate that day when the whole world is rejoicing.

Appreciate what you have been given. Have dreams and Work hard for that. Put a brave face always. When I thought of even joining call center, I always put a brave face. Faith in yourself is what is going to make you sail through everything in life. Make peace with yourself right from the start. That is the only person you would go to when everyone is deriding you at your failure. Be nice to him/her!!

In the end, the most important personality trait you should seek in oneself is Resiliency. Kindness comes second. How you look, your charming demeanor comes last. Life isn’t about what happens to you, it’s about what you do with what happens to you. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you have to get back up and keep fighting for what you believe. Rollercoaster rides are always more fun than straight drives. When you are seeing lows in life, there would be people to make fun of you. Deride you. When I was going through that insanity level, many in my family had started considering me insane and laughing at my actions.

People would question and criticize you when you “seem” to be failing. But remember:

1. Lesson10: Don’t mock the person who is losing the battle. He is the man of the arena. As someone says, It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly. Passing comments and criticizing standing at the ropes is one thing. Actually being in the ring is another. Even if you lose the battle, one gains experiences.

You come out experiencing what many wouldn’t. But You can’t embrace ups and down if you lack resilience. And you can’t move forward for a distance if you don’t practise kindness and help someone else come out of the muck!

I still remember those 100 Rs given to me by that watchman!!